The East Africa Cup (EAC) now boasts 1300 participants and 64 teams from Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda and whilst some people were looking to South Africa for their summer football fix, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania provided the stunning backdrop to the event whose aim is to 'empower youth through sports'.

In practical terms this means that the EAC is more than football – in fact nobody kicks a ball until they have attended a morning workshop. These include topics like HIV and AIDS awareness, coaching, first aid/sports injuries leadership and networking skills and conflict resolution. There are also media training seminars and activities at the event provided by a team from the BBC World Service Trust.

These help journalists cover sport and development issues, and help community leaders use the media more effectively in their work. In fact the tournament brings together people who use sport in their community and young people from countries where contact has sometimes been through conflict. The EAC is annually held in the picturesque town of Moshi, under the brooding glaciers of the magnificent Kilimanjaro – during the last ten days of June.

This year’s official dates were from June 22 – 27.The event hosts four categories – Under 16 girls and boys, and Under 13 girls and boys. One of the main objectives of the EAC is also to foster the development of girls participation in their respective communities. Seminars and athletic activities therefore put a major emphasis on improving the participation of girls.

Winners were awarded with trophies, medals and certificates; however the key highlight of the closing ceremony was the fair play awards which the EAC values more than the other awards.